25.9 C
Accra
Monday, December 23, 2024
Independent AfricaCough syrup not yet confirmed as cause of child deaths in Gambia

Date:

Cough syrup not yet confirmed as cause of child deaths in Gambia

Gambia has not yet confirmed that toxic cough syrup was the cause of the deaths of 70 children from acute kidney injury, a representative of the country’s Medicines Control Agency said this Monday.

The small West African state has been investigating a mysterious slew of child deaths in recent months, which police said in a preliminary investigation was linked to four cough syrups made in India.

World Health Organisation investigators have found “unacceptable” levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol in the products, which were made by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

But Gambia’s Medicines Control Agency, a national regulatory body, has not yet pinpointed the exact cause of the deaths, said Tijan Jallow, an officer at the agency.

“We haven’t concluded yet it is the medicine that caused it. A good number of kids died without taking any medications,” Jallow told a news conference.

“Other kids died, the medication that they took, we have tested them and they are good,” he added.

The agency is trying to establish exactly which medications if any, each child took.

 

Source: Reuters

 

[forminator_poll id="710479"]

Latest stories

U.S. Financial Analyst labels Akufo-Addo as Ghana’s worst, corrupt leader

Renowned U.S. financial analyst Scott Bolshevik has sparked a...

Lead-based paints cause lasting health damage – EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has voiced concerns over...

Upper West Region receives 35,600 condoms in effort to curb HIV spread

The Ghana AIDS Commission distributed 35,600 condoms in the...

Star Oil commemorates 25th anniversary

Star Oil, a privately-run fuel retail company, has reaffirmed...

Govt has not issued financial clearance for new expenses – Govt’s transition team

The Government Transition Team clarified that no financial clearance...

‘Your career has not come to an end when you leave a record label’ – Sefa

Ghanaian musician Sefadzi Abena Amesu, popularly known as Sefa,...

More than 12,000 Ghanaians were deported globally in last four years – GIS

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has reported that over...

Related stories

Zambia’s court bars ex-President Lungu barred from seeking re-election

Zambia’s highest court has prohibited former President Edgar Lungu...

South Sudan secures over 280,000 of oral vaccines to fight cholera

The Ministry of Health of South Sudan, with support...

Sudan on the brink of becoming a failed state – Report

Sudan, ravaged by war, is at risk of becoming...

2 deaths recorded after boat capsized in Madagascar

At least 24 people have lost their lives after...

85-year-old South African anti-apartheid writer Breytenbach is dead

Acclaimed anti-apartheid writer and activist Breyten Breytenbach, who was...

Finnish police detain Nigerian secessionist leader as Nigeria presses for extradition

Nigerian authorities have announced plans to request the extradition...

Uganda makes first avocado export to Spain

Uganda has marked a significant milestone in its agricultural...